Page 3 - ARUBA TODAY

A3
U.S. NEWS Tuesday 4 april 2017
Kushner, Dunford meet with Iraqi prime minister

BAGHDAD (AP) — President ly engaged in the cam-
Donald Trump’s son-in-law paign.”
and senior adviser, Jared The meeting with al-Adabi
Kushner, and Joint Chiefs came after some confusion
of Staff chairman Gen. Jo- regarding Kushner’s where-
seph Dunford met Monday abouts Monday morning.
in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Kushner’s travel plans ini-
Minister Haider al-Abadi. tially were revealed late
The visit marks an early Sunday by a Trump admin-
foray for the Trump admin- istration official who said
istration into the situation in Kushner wanted to see the
Iraq. It comes against the situation there for himself
backdrop of an ongoing and show support for Bagh-
investigation into civilian dad’s government.
deaths in an area of Mosul The official said Kushner
near the site of an air-strike had already arrived. But
by U.S.-led coalition forces when presented with infor-
last month. mation indicating that was
Dunford invited Kushner not accurate, the official
and Thomas P. Bossert, a said the timing of his ar-
presidential assistant for rival was unclear but con-
homeland security and firmed that Kushner was
counterterrorism, on the trip scheduled to be in Iraq on Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, arrives at the Ministry
to meet with Iraqi leaders Monday. Such visits from of Defense, in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 3, 2017. Kushner, flew to Iraq with the U.S. Joint Chiefs
and U.S. forces and receive high-ranking officials are of Staff chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford on Monday.
an update on the fight typically kept secret out of (AP Photo)
against the Islamic State security concerns. folio is robust. He has been advising on relations with and the Palestinians.
group. Capt. Greg Hicks, The administration official deeply involved with presi- the Middle East, Canada “If you can’t produce
a spokesman for Dunford, who provided the informa- dential staffing, recently and Mexico. peace in the Middle East,
said Kushner was “traveling tion late Sunday wasn’t launched a task force And though Kushner had nobody can,” Trump told
on behalf of the president authorized to speak about meant to modernize gov- no previous diplomatic or Kushner at a gala a few
to express the president’s confidential meetings by ernment using lessons government experience, days before his inaugura-
support and commitment name and demanded an- drawn from the private Trump also tasked him with tion.
to the government of Iraq onymity. sector, and has played the trying to broker a peace Kushner was also the lat-
and U.S. personnel current- Kushner’s West Wing port- role of shadow diplomat, agreement between Israel est Trump associate to be

Trump says US will forge a ‘great bond’ with Egypt

Continued from front Brotherhood member, el- political Islamists. El-Sissi also Egyptians who’ve deemed often relegating human
Sissi has cracked down on has taken a heavy hand on his presidency illegitimate, rights concerns to national
For Egypt, the objective is security.
clear: Help us help you. But el-Sissi’s government
In recent months, U.S. and believes its success in fight-
Egyptian officials have ing radicalism depends
sought to stress common- critically on U.S. aid.
alities. Egypt is among the top
Like Trump, el-Sissi believes recipients of U.S. military
he can eradicate radical and economic assistance,
Islamic extremism. but the aid is being evalu-
“Together, we will fight ter- ated as part of the Trump
rorism and other things and administration’s push for
we’re going to be friends dramatic budget cuts to
for a very, very long time,” diplomacy and develop-
Trump said, citing a “great ment. It receives $1.3 bil-
bond with the people of lion annually in aid, plus
Egypt.” hundreds of millions in eco-
El-Sissi vowed to work with nomic assistance from the
the U.S. “to counter this evil U.S. Agency for Interna-
ideology that is claiming tional Development and
innocent lives, that is bring- other programs potentially
ing devastation to com- on the chopping block.
munities and nations and Trump has vowed to work
that is terrorizing the inno- closely with Arab allies in
cent people.” the fight against the Islamic
Since the military over- State group. As a neighbor
threw Egypt’s first post- to the Hamas-controlled
revolution president, the President Donald Trump walks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House in Gaza Strip, Libya and Su-
popularly elected Mo- Washington, Monday, April 3, 2017. dan, maintaining stability
hamed Morsi, a Muslim (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) in Egypt is a high priority.q